Nontrad Pre PA/MD/DO/NP student here..
For the mid-level position, if you could do it over again but it was 2018 with the current climate, would you still choose PA over NP?
I speak as someone who will, at the time of matriculation, have 25 years of experience as a firefighter/paramedic/EMS Instructor, which IMHO is more than enough to compensate for a lack of RN experience if I were to venture into a direct entry NP program. My question for you guys is, why would I choose PA over NP? As I look at the prerequisite course load for both programs, the time investment while in both programs, and then the practice environment post graduation (which appears to be identical for both pathways), I struggle to find a reason to go the PA route over the NP route.
I truly and honestly didn't post this to start an NP vs PA war, but it is truly a decision that I struggle with. UGoLong and I have had coffee together and can attest to my genuine interest in this topic. I know his thoughts, but I'd love to hear from the rest of you!

Thanks for that feedback, that's something I hadn't considered.. I would hate to go through all that schooling and not have the career mobility that I thought I did.
I am in Ohio, which I'm told is more NP friendly than PA friendly, but I should definitely check around with some local resources to find out how true that really is..

I apologize, that was slightly misleading. There is more than 1 day per week of class, however only 1 day per week that needs to be done in the classroom itself, the rest is done via distance learning. Then there's clinicals on top of that.

I feel like I'm missing something here, so I'd really like some input on my understanding of the choices in front of me.
I have been working for the last 6 years or so to complete my undergraduate degree with the intent on going to medical or PA school. I wrapped up my degree in public safety management and began to lay the pathways out for medical school and PA school and found that the pre-requisites were nearly identical. As I was lamenting over which pathway I should go, I caught wind of a direct entry FNP program at a local, respected university. I spoke with a student advisor who said that the workload during school was 1 day per week in the classroom and 12 hours per week of clinicals, and that as long as I had some flexibility in my job (I do), it's not hard to work full-time while attending their program. The pre-requisites; anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, and an STNA certification... (sadly, my experience as a paramedic doesn't count for STNA)..
So my current plan is to wrap up my pre-reqs for NP school (should take another 3 semesters), complete the FNP course, obtain an ACNP certificate on top of that, at which point I'll have my years in to retire from the fire dept. My goal is to work in a semi-rural hospital near where I live either in the ED or as a hospitalist.
While I do understand that the FNP training is far less rigorous, I also feel I am an open minded person when it comes to identifying my own knowledge gaps and then working to teach myself in areas that I am deficient.
So, seriously, tear my plan apart. No this isn't a "looks like you've made up your mind" type of post where I'm just looking for validation, I honestly feel like these direct entry FNP programs are too good to be true. I want to know if I'm really looking at this correctly, and who better to ask than those with the experience!
Thanks!

I mean, it's great that you have a private space to unwind/sleep between patients, but 72 hours is 72 hours, and this is coming from someone who's spent the last 18 years working 24 hour shifts..
That's gotta be mentally exhausting..

I was a patient at a local Low-T clinic for about 6 months (switched to my employee health center). There's no way I would want that job. The PA would literally walk in, ask how I was doing, and say "ok, I'll send the MA in with your shot".
Seemed to be a very unfulfilling job, IMHO.